All posts tagged ‘Tina Fey’

Tina Fey as Portia Nathan and Paul Rudd as John Pressman, in the film Admission. Image by David Lee / Focus Features

Admission is a Focus Features film that releases March 22, starring two of my favorite actors in the universe: Paul Rudd and Tina Fey. They really don’t need any introduction, especially for those of us familiar with Saturday Night Live and Judd Apatow films. And that’s likely a huge part of the thinking behind the film, because they are two of the best things about it.

Don’t get me wrong. The film is cute. It’s light-hearted, there’s some great comedic moments (often supplied by Fey’s on-screen mother, played by Lily Tomlin), all as you’d expect. In a nutshell, it’s about Fey’s character, Portia Nathan, an admissions officer at Princeton University, who’s up for possible promotion. Her happy little plans come to an abrupt halt when she comes into contact with a potential student, Jeremiah Balakian. Balakian is likely a student she’d never consider; after all, he was pretty much a failure until he was brought into John Pressman’s (played by Paul Rudd) unusual school in New Hampshire (complete with a fully functioning farm and world-centric curriculum). But he’s a genius, and is just the kind of alternative intelligence she could gamble on, so long as she can convince the rest of the admissions board. (Oh, and bonus, Jeremiah might be the son that she gave up for adoption while in college.) Cue conflict, romance, and hijinks, as expected per romantic comedy standards.

I had very high expectations for the movie because of the presence of Fey and Rudd, as I’m pretty sure I could be satisfied by them simply reading craigslist ads in funny voices for hours on end. Not to mention that I very much enjoyed Paul Weitz’s work on About a Boy, based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name. The press event I attended was full of their witty banter and discussion about the film. But there were two major issues that I just couldn’t get past, no matter how deep my affection for the actors.

First, there are the characters. Nathan and Pressman just didn’t make use of Fey and Rudd’s abilities. Nathan is frigid and often blind to the problems in her own life (especially her personal life with her long-time boyfriend, played by Michael Sheen). The character as written just doesn’t have any of the comedic depth that Fey is capable of. And Rudd’s character is so predictable and stock that you almost wish someone else were playing the part. You keep waiting for that moment beyond the expected, and it never happens. According to the actors and director, the first iteration of the character was even more bland. Which is a little tough to imagine, honestly.

And then there’s the Princeton problem. Jeremiah, played by Nat Wolff, is awesome. He’s brilliant and quirky and hilarious. He’s self-aware and mature in ways most kids don’t manage until they reach… oh, I dunno, maybe some people never reach it. He’s the kind of person you want to spend an afternoon with over coffee and talk about every aspect of the world, the universe, and honestly feels like quite a few people I actually know. Kids who flourished outside the box, who could change the world by merely asking the right questions.

So why the hell does he want to go to Princeton? I mean, nothing against the Ivy League. While I briefly had delusions of attending Yale, I realized quickly that there were many other options. Not to mention that one’s undergraduate experience matters less and less these days. But the premise of the whole film, without spoiling anything, and the catalyst for all of Nathan’s actions and motivations, has to do with getting Jeremiah into Princeton. Not Yale, not Julliard, not UNC or Georgia Tech or Hampshire College. It’s so pervasive a theme it almost comes off like one long advertisement for Princeton. We, as an audience, as supposed to want this. It’s supposed to be best for Jeremiah and best for everyone. As far as we can tell he makes no other plans for school. There are literally hundreds of other college out there, colleges far better suited to Jeremiah. I know, I’ve been to them. I mean, sure, maybe he’d end up changing Princeton, maybe it isn’t as stuffy as it comes across in the film (either pandering to minorities or legacy admissions candidates). But by the end of the movie, I really didn’t want Jeremiah to go there, no matter how much the other characters did. I almost felt as if they didn’t deserve him.

That may be the biggest fault about Admission. It’s supposed to be about recognizing missed potential. And it is. Just not in the way it was supposed to be.

In the middle of a fight, a little bit of romance. Fearless Defenders #1, Marvel Comics

Today, in the adventures climbing the cliffs of insanity, we visit some of my favorite superhero couples, take a look at the unexpected romantic moment in Marvel’s The Fearless Defenders, and I will contemplate the place of romance in our society with a look at the backlash spawned by my Audi commercial post.

While I am giving away a copy of the 64-page Young Romance: A New 52 Valentine’s Day Special, I confess none of my favorite superhero romances are in there, with the exception of Batman and Catwoman, who were the best thing about The Dark Knight Rises.

My all-time favorite couple is Lois and Clark because they’re so perfect for each other. It’s not a mistake that every incarnation of Superman on the big and small screen has included Lois and Clark in some form. A great Batman story can be written without Catwoman. A great Superman story without Lois? I imagine it can be done but it would be far more difficult.

I’m looking forward Lois and Clark in the upcoming Man of Steel movie, though the Young Romance special is intent on selling me on Wonder Woman and Superman. Even all of DC hasn’t totally committed to Wonder Woman and Superman. Witness this excellent photo frame on DC’s official product page with classic Lois and Clark images.

Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont, the stars of Sandman Mystery Theatre, a 1990s title from Vertigo, DC’s adult division, is my next favorite couple Theirs is one of the most sophisticated and complicated romances in comics, taking place over the entire run of the series, which is set against the backdrop of a seriously crime-ridden 1930s New York City. Wesley has shown up in the new 52 Earth-2 series but there’s no sign of the personality of old Wesley from this book so I’ll have to be content with my trades for now.

Over at Marvel, Reed Richards and Sue Storm seem the one couple in comics destined to never break up. Which is awesome, because the cerebral Reed is perfectly matched with the more worldly Sue. There have been times when the pair have been parted temporarily but perhaps because the Fantastic Four is essentially the story of a family, they’ve stayed together and changed with the times. Sue has morphed from a girlfriend/wife and secondary member of the superhero team to gaining added powers and confidence, so now she stands as equal to Reed.

There are so many other great romances in comics but very few of those couples stay together, perhaps on the feeling that readers don’t like married couples?

Spider-Man was famously de-coupled from Mary Jane in a Marvel story that literally had him making a deal with the devil to exchange his marriage for the life of Aunt May, Barry Allen and his longtime love, Iris West, are not together in the new 52, nor is there any sign of Scott Free and Big Barda or Ralph and Sue Dibny. Black Canary and Green Arrow were never together in the new 52, though we might see them in the Arrow television show, and the Batman and Catwoman romance which had grown more solid over the years in DC Comics is back basically to square one, save for sexytimes with their masks on.

My other favorite romance is incredibly obscure and also currently non-existent. Jim Gordon and Sarah Essen were a star-crossed couple in Batman: Year One but received a happy ending in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, both written by Frank Miller, not usually known as a sappy romantic. Alas, Sarah was killed off (not by Miller) in previous continuity by the Joker. She seems to not exist in the new rebooted 52, which is something of an improvement. Limbo is a little better than death.

There’s also the unique romance between Liana, Scandal Savage and Knockout, a threesome that vowed to be married in Secret Six before the reboot happened. For more on favorite couples, check out the DCWomenKickingAss tumblr which is holding a romance tournament right now.

But a Valentine’s Day toast to all those couples and to those non-canon couples such as Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), and Black Canary and Oracle.

Disney is getting audiences excited for the next Muppet adventure, by teasing us with a few images from the upcoming movie. And yes, this is a huge tease, considering that The Muppets… Again! won’t be hitting theaters until March 21, 2014.

From the photo below, it looks like we can expect to see a lot of our old favorites, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, and even Walter. The pic above has one of the film’s very special guest stars, Ricky Gervais. Yaayy!

The film also stars Tina Fey and Modern Family‘s Ty Burrell. Jason Segel opted not to return or help out with the writing duties for this follow-up to the 2011 hit. Not to worry, though; Segel’s writing partner, Nicholas Stoller, is teaming up with director James Bobin for this one, which has the gang out on a tour, traveling through Berlin, Madrid and London.

Of course, where there are Muppets, there’s mayhem. Some of chaos will include Kermit’s deadly doppelganger, whose dastardly sidekick is played by Gervais.

Flight of the Conchords‘ fans will also be happy to hear that Oscar-winning songwriter Bret McKenzie (aka Lindir) will also return.

Expect many more teasers to come. We have a long time until The Muppets… Again! will hit theaters.

My lady-crush on Tina Fey has become embarrassing. It’s almost as bad as when I was six and got it in my head that I’d befriend Three’s Company star Joyce DeWitt. Who, by the way, receives mention in Tina Fey’s book Bossypants, which the world and I are currently reading.

As a former comic book editor, I’ve seen firsthand how admiration can turn otherwise intelligent adults into dorky, “I-carried-a-watermelon” puddles of pre-adolescent silliness. That’s why we editors could be a little guarded around fans. While I know most comic book readers are charming people with excellent hygiene, their sense of awe could occasionally—occasionally—be overwhelming.

So when actor Scott Adsit from Tina Fey’s own show 30 Rock once visited my office, and I first mistook him for a fan, I figured I’d want to politely avoid lengthy exchanges.

Once I realized my mistake, I knew I needed to rectify it by engaging him in the lengthiest exchange possible. To demonstrate my charisma, I asked him when the new season was going to start. I’ve since realized that’s exactly what everyone asks TV actors, but Mr. Adsit still responded with great dignity rather than the eye-roll I would have used. It was shameful: I’d become the very thing that I had feared a mere thirty seconds earlier.

And so it is with much humility that I now embrace my fandom, and recognize Ms. Fey on the anniversary of her birth. Because I swear that if she knew me, she would totally want to be my friend!

As if our mutual recollections of Joyce DeWitt weren’t enough, we also share a series of other experiences, many of them geography related:

Childhoods in Philadelphia, adulthoods in New York and Chicago, vacations on Route 80, and
a rose-colored view of Cleveland;

Careers in a traditionally male-dominated pocket of the entertainment industry;

A bunch of really uncomfortable private stuff that she mentions in Bossypants but that I am too cowardly to admit I have also experienced.

See? We could be twins.

Tina Fey’s presence in pop culture has been a great boost to my confidence. I’ve reasoned that if I worked just a little bit a lot harder, I could be that awesome. I was only slightly discouraged when I realized she could sing, too.

I know there’s nothing unique about the feeling that an artist is representing a better version of you to the world. Maybe Tina Fey gives all her fans that feeling. I certainly know that her base must include a large contingent of geeky moms, and surely we all feel an element of gratitude that someone is making us look this good.

But while I admit that admirers like me are a dime a dozen, I can’t help noticing how many peculiar memories we seem to have in common. Like the words to the “Most Important Person in the World Is You” song that came on between Saturday morning cartoons, or childhood vacations in Wildwood, NJ, in the shadow of attractive teenage relatives.

As a result, I cling to the belief that if I met Tina Fey, she’d be like, “You’re my new best friend! Let’s go have cake while we talk about our daughters and make scathingly hilarious observations about gender disparities!” But she’d say it, you know, better.

Or more likely, I’d humiliate myself as extravagantly as her character did on 30 Rock when she met her own writer-idol played by Carrie Fisher. And I doubt Tina Fey has much time for leisurely cake enjoyment, because she works 1,000 hours a week.

Even so, we have something to commemorate today. Another lady-crush of mine, Anaïs Nin, once said that the role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Today I’m glad to celebrate my fantasy friend Tina Fey for saying what we’re not always able to say, and for saying it so well.

Here it is, the definitive GeekMom Mother’s Day shopping guide. I surveyed my fellow GeekMoms to see what everyone most wanted for Mother’s Day, outside of the lovely pleasantries of nice meals cooked for us, time spent with our adorable children, and moments of solitude. This is our list, and chances are there’s something on it for the GeekMom in your family.

The Sims Medieval from EA

The Sims Medieval made it onto a few GeekMom wish lists this year, perfect for the GeekMom who wants to rule the kingdom. Then you can top off a day of gaming with dinner at Medieval Times.

Sometimes mom just wants to curl up with a great new book, like Aimee Bender’s The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake or GeekMom icon Tina Fey’s new Bossypants. If you could magically create time for her to read it, that would be awesome, too.

Sumo Omni Lounge

For lounging and gaming, give the Sumo Omni Lounge a try. One GeekMom described it as the Best. Chair. Ever.

Gardening GeekMoms will dig a Fermentation Pot to give a little culture to the veggies from the garden. Or give your GeekMom a Cast-Iron Griddle to cook up the backyard harvest.

Sleep Talkin' Man messenger bag

If you read the Sleep Talkin’ Man blog, you’ll understand why a GeekMom will double over laughing if she receives this messenger bag that says, “Don’t leave the duck there. It’s totally irresponsible. Put it on the swing, it’ll have much more fun.”

Star Trek Voyager, Paramount Entertainment

Give a TV-loving GeekMom a box set of her favorite show, especially if it’s one you can watch as a family, like the Star Trek Voyager complete box set.

For some moms, gifts in tiny velvet boxes are a standby, surefire hit. The sure thing for GeekMoms comes in larger packages, say packages that are Nook Color-shaped, netbook-shaped, or the diamond of them all, the iPad 2-shaped.